1963 Another Accident Part 3 – First Fracture Clinic Appointment

Well, you may not be surprised but this was my second fracture clinic experience. Have any of you been to the fracture clinic before? As I mentioned, I have when I was a lot younger, but I was incorrectly sent to them, and I don’t really remember it. In case you are a lucky person who has never had to grace the fracture clinic with your presence I am happy to confirm they have a well-known reputation for taking a LONG time, I am talking hours and sometimes even the full day.

I will admit that the fracture clinic appointment takes a while because you don’t know what you might need, you might need multiple x-rays, you might need a cast, you might need your cast removed, and you might have to have a new cast put on etc. So, I understand the actual appointment taking a while. But the fracture clinic is also notorious for having a long wait before you even get anything done.

My letter did say to allow for 3 hours for the appointment, I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take as we were in the middle of the pandemic, and I just didn’t know how it would work and what the game was plan might end up being etc. My case was a bit of a weird one because by the time I eventually got to the fracture clinic I was not far off 6 weeks into my broken ankle so in theory it should be healed, so I wasn’t sure what they were going to do. It would have been pointless to do a cast now, but you never know with the NHS.

The first thing I am not very happy about… who’s idea was it, to put the fracture clinic as far away as possible from the main entrance! I mean, would it not make sense to put the clinic when people are going to have limited mobility and trouble right by the main entrance? It would make life easier for many people. I did later realise that there is a separate entrance straight into the fracture clinic. I have used this hospital for over 10 years, and not once have I seen a sign that directs people to the fracture clinic entrance.

To get to the fracture clinic from the main entrance you must walk the width of the hospital to get to the lifts (elevators), go down a level, and then walk almost to the end of the corridor (half the length of the hospital) and then through some doors and the waiting room is all the way down past the doors. It took us about 10 minutes to hobble down there.

If you come in the main entrance for the fracture clinic there is a lovely lady there (it may be a male on other days, but it was a woman for me) who took my temperature and asked about symptoms and if I live or know anyone that has had a positive COVID-19 test. Once they are satisfied you are not at high risk for spreading the infection you are allowed to get booked in and sit down.

A nurse (I think it was a nurse) handed me a numbered ticket which was my place in line for getting a new x-ray. It wasn’t a long wait, maybe 10 minutes. They called my name, and it was a long process because I had to take my bag off, take my coat off, take my boot off and take my sock off. Then they really made me laugh, they wanted x-rays of my foot while I was standing up. To do this I had to get up on a wooden stool that was one to two feet high. I must have looked confused as I couldn’t work out how to get up there without falling. I managed it eventually.

If you have read the previous posts, you are aware that the first and second sets of x-rays were done at different angles. Guess what… have you guessed? The third set of x-rays that did was again a different angle from the first 2 sets. Experiencing this, I am not surprised that injuries are easily missed because they are not looking at the same thing. Especially when there are a lot of bones in the area like hands and feet.

This time, the x-ray took maybe 30 seconds but getting undressed and dressed and on and off the block took so much longer. Anyway, once they were done and I was back in my boot and my coat, I was sent to tell the nurses my x-rays were done and then sat back in the waiting room. In total I was waiting for about 40 minutes-ish, it didn’t feel very long because it was broken up by the x-rays and the getting dressed, maybe it was an hour.

Who knows? When I did get called by the doc I went into the private room. He confirmed straight away that there was a break, it looked to be healing so surgery wasn’t needed.

The Doc looked at my foot and ankle (obviously, duh). He was testing the movement and where it was hurting by gently adding pressure around the ankle. There was still tenderness and a bit of pain near the fracture site. Apart from the pain and the swelling we couldn’t find any more issues with my foot or ankle.

Adding all the factures together, the pain, the swelling and the x-ray showing it was heeling well but not quite 100% yet the doc advised I stay in the boot. My next appointment would be in 4 weeks. If I hadn’t removed the boot myself by then it would be time to take it off and start walking normally again. It wasn’t exactly the result I was aiming for, but it is better than a cast.

Other than asking where the break was because I was never told, the Doc showed me on the x-rays. That was the end of the appointment. Nothing fun and exciting, just a bog-standard check-up. I am still a little disheartened that the break/fracture was missed when I first went to A&E, I wonder if I would be back to running by now if I had the correct treatment for the break ya know.

Oh, before I forget when the Doc was showing me the x-rays, he said that it looks like the bit of soft tissue attached to that part of the bone had pulled my bone away from the bone and that’s how it was fractured. (My muscles are just that strong haha). And, that my friends, concludes chapter three to this story, chapter 4, 5, 6 and maybe 7 coming soon so keep your eyes peeled.